My Bleeding Heart
by Rena Redhead
Summary: OneShot. He tried to celebrate, and he did, for as long as he could. But in grief, he had to leave. They could rejoice, after all, the thief and his master had been defeated, but he couldn't. After loosing her... loosing Kisara... His heart was bleeding.


**Disclaimer:** If I owned this series, it would still be running and new episodes would still be coming out. As you can see, YuGiOh is not on the air anymore, so that means I don't own them.

**Author's Note:** Alright, since it is the holiday season and that means I get to write like an insane person because I actually have the time to do so, I finally finished it! Yes! This story that I started in September is finally done! As you can see, I'm very happy about this, as it's quite the accomplishment for me. And it only took listening to "First Time" by Lifehouse and "So Close" by Jon McLaughlin several thousand times to do so. But I'm stubborn, so I did! And besides – I like those songs. They make me smile. You're probably all thinking that this kid is crazy and needs to go chill out or something, but I swear, this is just how I get when I finish a project. So I hope you enjoy it and I'll stop typing out this Author's Note so that you can actually read it, lol.

-Y-

**My Bleeding Heart**

The sun beat down hard on the young man's shoulders. The desert sand somehow found its way to hit him, even all the way up here on the raised balcony. His eyes moved ever so slowly, taking in the enormity of the kingdom and its surroundings. Never before did it seem so... big. The Nile's safe haven. Its little paradise and yet… the city was in near ruins. Near, but not there yet. And already, the people, so soon after this great calamity, were rebuilding what they had lost. They had so much hope and were so willing to work together. Like they all had.... They… Now he.

The priest looked down at the object in his hands. The pyramid, the puzzle. It was strange, he had seen it so many times around the previous pharaohs' necks, but when it was in his hands, it felt so... so foreign. He didn't know how to explain what he had been entrusted with, at such a time of hardship. He didn't know how he even deserved it. He trusted Atem's judgment, but... He heard footsteps running towards them, but he couldn't turn to face them.

"Pharaoh! Pharaoh! Where are...." Mana came to a halt as she looked at Priest Seto.

She slowly swallowed as she watched him not move, "My... my Priest? Where is the Pharaoh?"

Seto turned his head downward, but finally, somehow, moved to face her, the Millennium Puzzle in his hand. Mana looked at it and then to him several times. What had just happened was finally sinking in.

"He's... he's gone...?" She asked him, bewildered

Seto turned to the side. He could only give a brief nod. Mana stood there for a moment as it sank in and then with a sigh, turned away.

"I'll... I'll call for someone then..." She said quietly. She was trying to keep it from getting to her.

Seto didn't exactly understand what she meant by that. He wasn't trying to though. As Mana left, the wind hit him again and Seto stiffened. Perhaps that's when the world wind of hurt started. It was beginning to sink in. He had fought hard to help in the fight against Bakura's master, Zorc Necrophades, but often he felt he had fought hard so that he could stay numb. He looked down at the open area of the palace where his... father? His father had... Seto held his head. Aknadin had been his father. He hadn't died in a battle long ago. And yet he had... Seto wasn't sure what Aknadin had become. In some ways, he felt as though he should feel remorse for him. But he couldn't. Not really.

But he did feel remorse. For another. Greatly. As he took in all of this, Mana came back this time with others. While the Priest normally praised the people for their attempts to continue living normally in the face of danger or, to say the least, abnormality. However, this wasn't going to be one of those times. A few of them motioned him forward to follow them.

"Mana, what's going on?" He asked.

"The Coronation?" Mana asked back, "My Priest, if the Pharaoh appointed you... They said… Hey, it wasn't my idea."

That's when it hit him. But it was too late as the women and men brought him off the roof to go to another part of the building. Seto took one last glance at the destroyed open area before they pulled him inside. Once they reached a separate corridor, they led Seto into a room that he had only been in once. It was right before Atem's Coronation, he had come to give the Prince support. Then another thought hit him. Of Aknadin had been his father and Aknamkanon had been his father's brother… Had he really been a prince all along? If he had, he sure didn't feel like it. The women left while the men began finding things out of closets. Seto stood there motionless, not sure as to what he was supposed to do. But then again, he still wasn't paying much attention to be able to pick up on that either.

That's why he was a little startled when one of them started to take off his cape. Turning around, he saw the other quickly coming to take his bracelets and other additional pieces of his clothing. Once done, they handed him two pieces of white clothing and left the room. He could only imagine that they would soon be back. Sighing, Seto changed quickly. As he took his hat off, he shook his hair out. It was always confined when he wore that, when he wore any of those hats that the priests wore. He thought back to when he never had to wear one. He smiled slightly at the thought. The blue on the hat shimmered. Just like her eyes....

They came back in, pulling Seto from his thoughts again. They finished the outfit for him, giving him new bracelets, rings, and other items. Tightening on a new cape, they gave him a breather as they went to get... something else. Seto wasn't sure what. As they did, Seto looked in a mirror. He had to admit, it seemed very similar, the outfit that is, to what Atem's was like. But the bottom of his was longer and nearly covered his feet while his arms had one or two more bracelets on them. He also didn't have any earrings... well, he wasn't sure about that, yet. He wasn't looking forward to that if that was the case. His chest plate had blue gems encrusted on it while a necklace held an Ankh made of gold with another blue gem in the middle.

Come to think of it, there was a lot more blue in general. His cape was a lighter blue than Atem's had been and there was a piece of blue still draping down the bottom of the front. But before he could try to pick out where else there was blue, they came back to work on his head. Sitting him down because he was too tall for any of them to reach, a few of them started what he felt like was tugging on his hair while the others started redefining his eyes, despite the fact that he had done a perfectly fine job himself all of these years on his own. He had never seen the real point in making an elaborate appearance and if it had gone on a minute longer, he might have burst. But it didn't and they then left him alone.

Seto once again looked at himself. Well, no earrings. Yeah, that was a sure fire way to look on the bright side. His hair had been pulled back again, a head piece similar to that of Atem's father on his own now. Seto walked out to the patio. The sun was beginning to set, a display of spectacular colors dancing on the horizon with a few clouds. It takes two to dance. Seto put a hand down on the thick fence-like border, the stone's rough surface felt good, solid on his palm. Seto looked back out to the open area when he noticed it. The stone... it had been moved. He couldn't see... That's when Mana came back in.

"My Pri.. Pharaoh?" She asked.

"Mana, where's that stone, the one that was in the courtyard?" Seto inquired of her immediately.

"The one with the dragon on it?" She asked him.

"Was there another one?" Seto questioned her back, harshly.

Mana bit her lip and replied, "I... I think it was moved to..."

"To where?" It was close to a shout, just barely refraining from reaching such a title.

"The valley, near Mahad's stone," Mana answered, startled.

"The valley..." Seto trailed off.

"My Pharaoh..." Mana started, "The Coronation... it's going to start soon."

Seto only gave a brief nod for a reply. It had been moved? Who had moved it? Mana stood there as Seto thought. She wasn't sure why he cared so much, but she figured something significant had happened with in the chaos.

"Seto?" She finally asked, "I don't know what... but we have to go."

Seto looked over at her, his expression, surprising to her. He looked like this was going to be, painful or something. Like he was going to have to grin and bare it. Little did she know he would. He'd go to the stone later. With her. He would. Seto walked over and followed Mana down the steps to the Royal Court. There were cheers and yells as he entered. He attempted to be formal. He waved. He kept his shoulders back. But from there on out, it was a blur. He remembered being named Pharaoh and then watching the celebration afterwards. It looked like, sounded like, all of Egypt was rejoicing.

There were dancers and magicians and games. There were many gifts and many people who came to give him their word of loyalty. Seto wasn't really paying attention, though. He kept staring at the doorway, the exit. His mind wandered off. He tried to be logical. Why should he be feeling this much remorse for one person? For a person he hadn't even known for very long? No, that was a lie. He had known her for ages. Before he became a priest even. He thought back to that one day when he had rescued her. She was such a gentle girl, well, she had been a teenager, but still, she had child-like eyes. They were so innocent...

He smiled thinking about them. He thought of how he brought her far enough out to get away. Then, as he had turned around, his village was being destroyed. At one point in time, he had been very confused as to where the dragon had come from. The dragon that had saved him. Now he knew. It was too evident, even in its name. The Blue Eyes White Dragon. Her blue eyes. Her white hair.... It was… had been, so soft to the touch. Seto pulled a hand up to his chest, gripping his shirt.

And the only times it had appeared. Not to defend herself. Not to help herself. Not for any reason, other than to protect others. Him. To protect him. He wanted to help her back. He felt the urge, impulse to do so. After all that she had done for him. Saved him from the thugs, given him the strength to fight off his own father and Zorc. Seto closed his eyes and just breathed, trying to shut out the noise. He wanted to hear her voice, her meek, quiet, sweet voice, one last time. But no, he'd never hear it with all of this celebration. Why were they celebrating, anyway? What good would it do them? Why celebrate having a Pharaoh who nearly turned them over? If it hadn't been for Kisara... Her name. It could roll off his tongue with such ease…

"Kisara..." He whispered, so that no one could hear it but him.

In his mind, he thought of how it sounded when she said his name. So many times had she called to him. Called out to be there for him. When all he had done was help her in ways that could only begin to amount to what she had done for him. And yet, despite the number of times she had said his name, it was becoming a fading memory already. It wasn't fair. Why was it doing this? Why couldn't he remember? Seto grabbed his head, his hair coming out of place and his clothing beginning to cling to him. Why was he here? He shouldn't be here. He wasn't supposed to be here. He could feel it.

"My Pharaoh?" Mana asked, coming over, seeing his distress, "Pharaoh? Seto?"

Seto looked up at her and then in front of him where some person, some wealthy person he didn't care about, was standing, looking slightly alarmed and confused.

"Are you alright, my king?" Mana asked him.

His eyes darted to see her, wide, but crystal clear and unmoving. He couldn't stay here. He couldn't. Seto, somehow, through the shaking, moved to get up and quickly darted from sight and out of the Court. His footing was wobbly and it took him a moment to regain his senses. He heard Mana following him.

"Seto? Where are you..." As she got to him, he turned and held out a hand, telling her to stay back.

"Leave me alone," He told her, "I've... I've got to go... I'll be back."

"But..."

"No!" Seto yelled.

Mana said no more. What could she say to that, anyway? She couldn't. That was obvious. Seto left her in the hallway as he finally managed to start running. He ran to his room, shutting the doors quickly. He held them there for a minute, before starting to tear off the many decorative pieces of clothing as he searched for something else. Something more... humble maybe. Yes, that's what he wanted. Finally he found something, from his early years of studying to become a priest that somehow still fit. As soon as he was ready, Seto left discreetly, running down to the courtyard. Sure enough, the stone tablet was still gone, but in the corner, a sheet covered a still object. Seto ran over and picked it up, ever so carefully, before running off to the stables. He quickly hooked up a saddled horse to one of the few riding carriages they had, where he placed the object.

Riding off, slowly at first, Seto managed to get past most without being noticed. Their new Pharaoh should still be up at the palace, not running the opposite direction. After getting past the walls of the kingdom, Seto had the horse take off into a run for the valley. It quickly turned into rough terrain, but Seto urged the horse on while the carriage rocked hard. They were maybe a hundred yards from the opening, the entrance to the Valley of the Kings, when Seto heard the wood crack. Looking back, he saw the carriage break free and go tumbling into a ditch. Seto pulled on the reigns hard, stopping the horse in its tracks. He jumped off and put the reigns over a large rock to keep the spooked horse from wandering off.

Skidding down, Seto quickly jumped through the ditch to see the carriage's remains. No, no, no, this couldn't... He felt his chest get tight. Upon reaching it, Seto shoved the door of the carriage open. He saw a faint hand and quickly moved to reach it. Coming out, Seto left behind the sheet, carrying the body up the hill like it was a fragile piece of porcelain. It was already cold to the touch, but Seto refused to think about it. Once again saddling the horse, Seto placed the body in front of him so that it wouldn't fall and slowly rode off again to the entrance. It only took five minutes or so, but it felt like much longer.

At the entrance, Seto dismounted and began carrying the limp form, Kisara, again. Attempting to stand tall, Seto let out a slow breath and continued into the valley. He didn't know where the stone would be, but he was determined to find it. He wouldn't leave until he had. His eyes searched through out the valley while his arms could feel the wind's cold grasp on him. The sun had set by now and the night was draping its icy hand over the land. The stars twinkled while the moon took it's time. Seto could feel the eeriness. He was treading on the land of the dead.

Finally, after maybe half an hour, searching fruitlessly, Seto saw a small area of the canyon that was cut off and closed. Seto looked down at her face and slowly walked over, his footsteps barely making a sound. As he rounded the corner, he found it. The stone tablet, the one with the Ka of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Born out of what he believed was the need to protect rather than to avenge. His eyes, weary from searching, saddened. He looked down at Kisara, her beautiful face, her innocent wonderful face, then to the tablet. He felt himself grow weak and his knees gave out.

He kneeled down in front of the tablet, holding Kisara close to him, "Please... please..."

The wind whipped at his sides and he could feel her hair brush against him. Slowly, he looked from her to the stone again, his chest hurting.

"Please... I... I don't know... I don't know what you can do... Or what I can do... But please... She doesn't desire to die..." It echoed as he corrected himself mentally.

"She didn't…" He said slowly.

He didn't know how to approach the Egyptian deities on a subject like this. Despite being a priest... a pharaoh even, he still felt inadequate for the task, the job. But he couldn't... he couldn't lose her like this. Not after all she had done and all they had gone through. It just wasn't fair...

"It should have been me..." He whispered, "I... I know I don't deserve, any of this. The honor of being Pharaoh... or this request.... After what I..."

He felt like he was running in circles and paused to regain his thoughts, "Please... I just... I just want her back..."

He waited a moment, the silence screaming in his ears. He felt his eyes hurt and his chest tighten even further. And suddenly, his eyes were wet and his tears were streaming down his cheeks, forming small rivers, something they hadn't done in years. He bent over, placing Kisara slightly on the ground. He held her in his arms, slowly rocking her back and forth, if not for her, than for him. He felt wounded, like he was dead himself. He kissed her forehead and placed his cheek on her head. It wasn't fair. She hadn't done anything to deserve this, _anything_.

The moon above him became shrouded with clouds and a sudden piercing sound, thunder, ripped through the skies. And with it, it began to rain, the drops hitting him, almost pounding on his skin. But Seto didn't care. He kept a hold of her. He had to. He knew his chances of seeing her again were well beyond unlikely, impossible even. He knew that and yet it didn't really matter to him. What he couldn't stand, though, was how cold she was to the touch, and how the rain just made her colder. He tried to cover her with what little protection he could offer.

He hadn't been able to cry about his mother. After he lost his mother, he had barely managed to stay conscious as he attempted to avoid blows by thugs. And when it came to his father, Aknadin… He didn't really even know his father. He could miss him, maybe, but he couldn't shed a tear for him. The Guardians? No. He had always been an outsider to them. He was the one that had been picked off the streets. They were handed their positions. He had had to work for his and there had always been a distinction between them because of it.

But for her… He could. He could cry about it. The one person he felt the need to protect. He'd failed her. The most innocent, just, kind, gentle person he had ever met… Kisara's self sacrifice was beyond his comprehension. He just couldn't understand why anyone would ever care about him like that, like the way she had.

Seto looked at her pale face. The color might have been gone, but she still had such a lovely, pure, beauty about her.

Seto felt himself choke on his tears for the first time in his life, "Kisara… please…

"I love you."

With that, Seto felt his heart break, bleeding into whatever reservoir that was left inside of him. A few tears fell onto her face, on her eyes… Slowly, the table began to glow, the insignia of the Blue Eyes shining like a silver light out at him. Seto looked up, the light blinding him so that he had to cover his eyes. That's when he heard the cry, the dragon's roar. Seto managed to let his eyes adjust to the light just in time for the light to give out. His eyes barely let him see anything now. But he heard the roar again. He knew it was here. He could feel its presence. Looking around the stone tablet, Seto saw in the midst of darkness, two large blue eyes. In an instant, they flew up into the sky, along with the rest of the White Dragon.

Seto held his breath, the tears had stopped for the moment. He didn't know how this dragon had gotten here or what it wanted. Kisara? Him? Whatever the case, he could feel the apprehension growing inside of him. As the dragon came down, Seto held Kisara tightly, keeping her close to him. He couldn't let her go…

The dragon landed and looked at him and he looked back. And that's when he saw her through its eyes. The dragon's edges slowly began to fade until instead of a dragon, she was standing in mid air where it had been. She looked at him longingly, comfortingly, before stepping down next to her body. Seto froze, unsure as to what was happening or what she was doing, or ever if he had gone insane.

Kisara knelt down and touched her arm, suddenly becoming a flash of white light. Seto shut his eyes quickly, but upon opening them, he watched as the light disappeared slowly, what would have been her hand, being the last to go. That's when he noticed something. She was warm again. His heart beat hard in his chest as he saw her eyes begin to open. Kisara looked at him as he stared at her. She was… alive? Was she…

He didn't get the chance as she shyly sat up in his arms. At all of this, his head, his whole body was beginning to ache. Was he going crazy? Was he just dreaming this up? Was he this desperate… and even if he was… would it be this bad if he was, if he got to see her like this in return?

"Lord Seto…" She whispered.

"Kisara…?" He asked, "Is that… I… are you?"

Kisara nodded meekly, "For now, I am."

Seto looked at her again, but realized, if it was only for a moment… He had never been good at expressing emotions, but…

"Kisara… I thank you," He whispered, "You… you deserve so much better than this… than me even. And I hope you can forgive me for, for the mess that was and… thank you… for everything. I just… I…"

Seto slowly stopped as he caught her lovely eyes with his, "Lord Seto…"

"No, Seto, call me Seto," He told her, somehow her having to call him by such a title seemed so unnecessary to him. She shouldn't have to…

Kisara looked down, but upon catching his eyes once more, started again, "Seto…"

"Yes?"

"You have really, really beautiful eyes," She whispered, almost submissively, surprising him with the statement.

Seto smiled, "So do you…"

Kisara blushed. She hesitantly pulled a hand up to touch his cheek, stroking it lightly. Her hand, warm… it felt so right… so good. Kisara watched Seto close his eyes at the touch, taking it all in. He never gave himself enough credit. She smiled at him.

"Kisara…?"

"Yes?"

"I…" Seto opened his eyes to look at her.

He didn't know how she was here, what had happened, or when she had to leave. But to have her here… he felt… it felt right.

"I love you."

She stared at him. The seconds ticking by… Seto began to look down when he suddenly found a pair of lips on his. He brought a hand up to the back of her head as she wrapped her arms around him, one hand stroking his brown hair just as his hand got tangled up in her own. It was such a strange and foreign thing to Seto. To care this much for someone else… He wasn't even really sure if he knew what he was doing. He only knew that somewhere, deep in his chest, he knew needed her, and only her, to stop the ache that resonated within his heart…He kissed her again and she kissed him again. She was here. _Here!_ And alive with him…

And then suddenly, they parted to kiss one more time… everything else about them, was calm. They could relax. They didn't want to end this one. Seto felt something he had never felt before in his life: completeness and a need to be where he was. And Kisara, she felt the same, confident that she was safe while she was with him and always would be. When they finally parted, Seto didn't want to open his eyes, afraid that she would be gone.

"You don't hate me?" He asked, "After… After everything?"

"No," She said, she was so childlike, so untainted, so honest…

"Seto?" She asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I…" He slowly phrased, "I, I don't want you to leave… leave me."

And that's when the ever present sensation that he was going to cry again hit him. Why oh, why did that have to happen? Why was he acting so incredibly childish? Why… Kisara tenderly brought Seto into a warm hug.

"Seto… I… I wish to come back… I just… can't…" She trailed off.

Seto gulped down another round of tears and nodded, taking in every feeling, every emotion.

Kisara pulled back and looked at him, "But, Seto, I'm not leaving you."

She glanced up at the tablet with the White Dragon engraved on it, "You need to be a good Pharaoh for the people. I'll always be with you… I'll be right here…"

With all of her words of comfort, Seto still felt like he'd never be able to live like that… _So this was what love was like_, he thought, _you're so deeply in love that life loses meaning without the other…_

"Seto," Kisara saw the pain on his face and tried one last time, "I'll defend you no matter what. I'll be here when you die. I'll be with you in every reincarnation… I'm never going to leave you…"

She brought a timid hand to his chest, right next to his heart, "I… I'm in there, Seto."

Seto let a few final tears fall as he nodded, "I know…"

He brought his hand over hers, whispering to her, "I love you…"

Kisara slowly moved up towards his face, "I love you, too."

She closed her eyes as did he as she closed the gap between them and they kissed one last time. It was one kiss. One that wasn't stained by any sort of lust, but instead by their love for one another. Wounded by mortality, they held each other, knowing they couldn't after this. Seto's heart beat fast as did Kisara's. Real love? That's when your heart's beating because it has to, because without the other person, life isn't complete and you're not the person you want to be. Slowly though, Kisara's heart began to slow, to fade. Seto felt the warmth leave her lips and he pulled back, watching as he caught her whisper one last word.

"Seto…"

The same light rose out of her body, this time, once again in the form of the Ka, the Blue Eyes. It headed for the tablet, when it looked back at Seto, its eyes sad. Seto looked down at Kisara and then at the Dragon again….

"Thank you," He said.

The Dragon nodded and in a flash, fell back into the bounds of the stone tablet. Seto sighed. He sat there for a while, the rain dying away. Eventually he stood up. He had to live for two people now, though he knew that her heart, somewhere, was still beating. Carrying Kisara's limp body, Seto found an unfinished tomb right close by to rest it for the moment. He brushed the hair out of her face before kissing her forehead gently.

"Thank you," He said again.

He left the tomb that night, quiet and sullen. He'd later send to have a private tomb built for her, but all at a future timing. When he got back to the horse, he road back to the palace at a calm pace, only to find a few very angry people there to wag their fingers at him in response to his reckless and inappropriate behavior. But he could take it. He knew he could. Once he got back to his room, he looked back over Egypt and saw the moon once again, its blue light shinning down over his kingdom. He'd keep his promise to Atem and, though he might have help, he'd rebuild Egypt into its glorious state.

Seto smiled finely up at the blue moon's simple, beautiful, everlasting light. Like love. His chest swelled for a second time that night, but not from a bleeding heart.

From love…

Love.

-Y-

**A/N:** You have no idea how happy I was to see this done. Actually you probably do. Now I hope that wasn't overly fluffy. I've never actually read any Seto romances, but I thought I'd take a stab at it. Seto has never struck me as the type of guy, either in modern times or ancient times, to be looking for love. But I think the thing that struck me as I read the Manga and watched the Anime arc lines was that, love sort of found him and once it did, he didn't want to let it go even if he wasn't entirely sure what it was for a while. So that's what I wanted to get across here. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review! Keep staying awesome and amazing! Later!

~Rena


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